


The Laundry Bet

by Exiti_Anima



Series: Three Word Prompts [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: BAMF Tony Stark, Bucky Barnes & Sam Wilson Friendship, Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers Friendship, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Howard Stark's Bad Parenting, It Goes As Well As You Expected, M/M, Sam and Bucky Make A Bet, Sarcasm Of Course, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson Friendship, Steve and tony used to date, That Also Goes As Well As You Expected, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, We All Know Howard Sucks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-05-29 13:40:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19401457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Exiti_Anima/pseuds/Exiti_Anima
Summary: James Barnes and Sam Wilson always make bets, no matter how big or small, and their mutual friend Steve Rogers is always amused by it. This time, the bet is for James to get someone to date him by the end of the semester. Sam doesn't think he could do it, and James thinks Sam is full of shit. He picks someone out on campus, and Steve oh so helpfully informs him that his name is Tony Stark.Well, it's too late to back down now.One thing turns to another and he finds himself falling for one Tony Stark. Okay, this is fine, he just needs to make sure that Tony doesn't figure out that their relationship started out as a bet until the end of the semester and then he can tell Sam and Steve after the bet is done.Until Sam brings up another bet that Bucky can't turn down and it involves Tony.This is fine, just one more semester of keeping Tony from finding out.Easy, right?





	The Laundry Bet

**Author's Note:**

> Another one of the three word prompts!
> 
> Laundry, University, Bet.

Steve rolled his eyes fondly as his best friends bickered, which wasn’t an uncommon thing. Bucky and Sam always bickered, whether it was about who was doing the dishes or who got shotgun in the car it didn’t matter. Sometimes, the bickering turned into challenges and this was one of the times.   
  
“Alright Bucky, I bet that you can’t ask someone here out-not including the people you know!” Sam hurriedly added as Bucky turned towards Steve, and Bucky slouched as Sam caught the loophole, “And get them to date you by the end of the semester.” All of them were enrolled in SHIELD University, each aiming to be different things, and they all were on their way to earning their bachelors.   
  
“So I have to ask someone out and get with them by the end of the semester?” At Sam’s nod, Bucky shrugged, “What do I get in return?”   
  
“I’ll do laundry the whole semester your trying to get a date, but you have to choose someone now in front of us.”   
  
“And if I fail?”   
  
“You do the laundry for the other half of the semester.” Bucky considered this before nodding and sticking his hand out.   
  
“It’s a deal.”   
  
“Alright then, who are you going to choose?” Sam asked, and Bucky surveyed the students who were either ambling about or just relaxing and his eyes landed on one of them.   
  
“Him.” Bucky declared, and Steve looked over to where he was watching. When he found who Bucky had picked, he rapidly paled.   
  
“Uh Buck, are you sure? I mean you’re not only limited to males and maybe someone else would be bette-“   
  
“Nope, no take backs now.” Sam declared triumphantly as he too found the person Bucky had chosen, “That kid is now the target of Bucky’s trash flirting.”   
  
“I’m a great flirter.” Bucky defended, and neither of the two saw the worry and concern flash across Steve’s face. “So, any of you met the guy I picked? Any intel on him before I go in that could give me an advantage?”   
  
“His name is Tony Stark.” Steve admitted quietly, and Sam’s eyes widened.   
  
“Holy shit, you picked _the_ Tony Stark? Certified genius Tony Stark? ‘I built a circuit board when I was practically a toddler’ Tony Stark?” Sam whistled as he patted Bucky on the back, “Good luck dude, he’s probably going to see right through you.”   
  
“Actually, he’s a little distrustful and wary at first but as long as you show good intentions he’s not that hard to befriend.” Steve piqued up, and Bucky looked over at his childhood friend.   
  
“Do you know this kid?”   
  
“Uh yeah,” Steve winced, “although it’s probably for the best if you don’t bring me up.” Bucky’s frowned but nodded, he’d get the story out of Steve later. “Aside from that, he’s crazy about coffee and loves talking about technology. You don’t have to be well-versed in it but if you show genuine interest about what he’s saying and actually ask questions if you don’t understand what he’s talking about, you’ll get his attention.”   
  
“Alright, coffee and technology on the safe list and you on the bad list. Anything else I should steer clear of?”   
  
“He doesn’t like talking about his family, so don’t ask about that when you start to get to know each other. He’ll talk about his old friend, Jarvis, but only him so don’t be surprised if he doesn’t bring up his father. He’s also not crazy about weapons either, so don’t ask him about the business.”   
  
“Isn’t he the heir though?” Bucky frowned, and Steve shrugged.   
  
“Yes, but supposedly he wants to change that into clean energy or something. I don’t know, I didn’t really pay attention.” Here, Steve frowned at himself and seemed remorseful about something. Before Bucky could ask, Sam was pushing him in Stark’s direction.   
  
“Alright lover boy, go work your stuff.” Bucky rolled his eyes but decided that what Steve told him was enough to at least start a basic conversation.   
  
“Hey.” Bucky began as he walked up to Stark, but the genius didn’t hear him. He had earphones in his ears and from the way that Bucky could hear the faint music, he knew it had to be blasting in Stark’s ear. He also seemed to be writing something down in a notebook, too complicated and scribbled for Bucky to make out, and in the middle of the page was a sketch of a robot. At the top, he could make out the words DUM-E. He decided to tap on Stark’s shoulder and watched as the notebook slammed shut in alarm as the genius spun around to face him. Bucky was about to speak again but Stark held up a finger, telling him to wait, as he fished his phone out of his sweater pocket and paused the music.   
  
“Hello, do I know you?” Stark questioned as he took out one of his earbuds, his head subconsciously tilting in curiosity as he looked at Bucky.   
  
“James, sorry to bother you but I saw some of your notes and was curious as to what you were working on. Something about dummy?” Bucky stuck to his first name as he held out his prosthetic hand, which Stark shook before his eyes widened slightly.   
  
“Is this a prosthetic?” Stark questioned, immediately looking down to get a closer look as previously he had to tilt his head up so he could maintain eye contact, and Bucky knew he made the right decision to utilize his missing arm as a way to draw Stark in.   
  
“Yeah, lost my arm in an accident. It’s a good one, but unfortunately I’ll need to get a job before I can afford a better one.” Bucky explained, and Stark hummed distractedly as he observed Bucky’s hand. He flipped it over to look at it some more before suddenly realizing what he was doing and pulled back.   
  
“Sorry, that was probably extremely insensitive of me-“   
  
“No it’s fine.” Bucky said calmly, smiling, “You’re obviously interested in the prosthetic and I’d take that over pity any day.” Stark seemed to consider this before nodding to himself and smiling.

“My name is Stark. Tony Stark.” The person in question seemed almost resigned to the fact that Bucky would change what he thought about Stark, and that the conversation they had would fly out the window in favor of Bucky asking for an autograph or something of the sort. Or maybe yell at him and be disgusted, but whatever it is Bucky wasn’t going to do it.   
  
“Well then, mind telling me about the project of yours that you decided to name _dummy?_ It must be really somethin if you think it’s dumb.” Bucky said and watched as Stark snorted as he shook his head amusingly.

“His name isn’t actually going to be dummy, it’s _DUM-E_ .” Stark pronounced, making it clear of the dash and that it was separate, “And it’s going to be my first shot at artificial intelligence.”   
  
“What about the prototype you made when you were in., what was it, middle school?” Bucky Guessed the timeline and at Stark’s affirmation he continued, “The one that told the time and weather and activated through voice recognition, that wasn’t an attempt at artificial intelligence?”

“No way,” Stark shook his head, “it was designed to do what you just described and nothing more. Especially not artificial intelligence. Not to sound like a blow-hard, but if that was my first attempt at artificial intelligence I’d be disappointed in myself.”

“Understandable for a certified genius,” Bucky shrugged, clearly not disturbed by the difference in intelligence between the two of them, and Stark watched him curiously, “and if it doesn’t work?”

“Then I’ll just keep trying until I get it right.” Stark said confidently, assured of his own intelligence, “I have to run but maybe we can continue this conversation later?” Stark took on a relaxed stance, but Bucky majored in Psy. and could see the obvious tellings of Stark’s hidden nervousness. 

“Sure, coffee shop after afternoon classes?” Bucky offered, and Stark placed a hand over his heart dramatically.

“A man after my own heart.” Stark laughed as he dropped the act and picked up his bag, “See you after classes James.” He waved goodbye and only after he was long after sight did Steve and Sam come up to him.

“I take it that it went well?” Steve asked, an unreadable emotion on his face, and Bucky smiled.

“Yup, we’re meeting at the coffee shop on campus after afternoon classes, managed to get his attention with the prosthetic and catering to his new invention.”

“Damn you’re good Barnes, now lets see if you can reel him in.” Bucky personally didn’t have afternoon classes aside from one, deciding he was a better student in the morning, so after seeing Steve and Sam to their classes he went back to the dorm to write down everything he knew about Stark and conversation ideas. He found things easier when he wrote things down, and since Sam was his dormmate and currently not here this was a perfect time to do it.

* * *

Everything was going smoothly, after Bucky and Tony met up at the coffee shop they decided to keep hanging out and had a scheduled coffee shop meeting every week. 

“So, I never actually asked this but what’s your major?” Tony asked as he sipped his coffee, his intelligent eyes never straying from Bucky’s, and the person in question answered.

“Psychology, after the accident I wanted to know everything about trauma and PTSD. That evolved into looking into body language and our subconscious and from there I fell in love with the idea.” Bucky smiled helplessly, “I wanted to learn about it from a professional, not websites where I couldn’t ask my own questions and really learn about it. Our brain is so fascinating and-” Bucky cut himself off and shook his head, “Sorry, you probably don’t want to hear about this.”

“I definitely do.” Tony refuted, absentmindedly resting his face on his hand, “You listen to me ramble all the time, if this is your passion then I’d like nothing more than for you to talk about it.”

Bucky took a moment to look at Tony, to _really_ look at him. He was dressed in a sweater _(because he swore up and down that despite the fact it was 80 degrees outside, the coffee shop was cold)_ and some jeans, and his face was cradled in one of his hands as he stared at Bucky softly with an easy smile on his face. A smile that was subconscious and came entirely from the fact that just being around Bucky somehow made Tony happy, one that appeared when with best friends or lovers. It struck Bucky that he had the same smile on, and he had Tony Stark’s full attention. How many people could say that and have it be true?

Bucky shook himself out of it before he could think about it too deeply, he had time to do that when he wasn’t in front of the subject of his thoughts.

“Well…” As Bucky launched into an explanation of his passion, he was now consciously aware that Tony looked at him as if he hung the stars.

He was also aware that he looked at Tony like that right back.

_Shit._

After their talk, one that took place in the morning which meant it was Bucky this time that had to leave for his classes, Bucky was distracted. It wasn’t like him and a teacher pulled him aside after class to ask if he was okay. Bucky had flushed and rubbed the back of his neck, muttering a soft _“yes ma’am”_ and the teacher had smiled at him kindly.

“I’ve seen that look on my son before, just make sure they don't interfere with your academics okay?” Before Bucky could say a word, the teacher had ushered him to get to his next class and his face burned at the fact he was that obvious. When the day was finally over, Bucky fell back on his bed and huffed as he stared at the ceiling. 

This had not been apart of his plan.

Admittedly, Bucky didn’t really go into this bet _with_ a plan but still. Bucky, in the span of a few months, had fallen hard and fast for Tony. When had Stark become Tony, Bucky didn’t know but it had happened and now he was facing the possibility of actually wanting to date Tony even without the bet. It wasn’t his fault, Tony was just so _lovable!_ He was passionate about everything he did and was so caring and curious about everything around him. He was an idealist and a realist living in one body, an optimistic and a pessimistic combined, he was just so…

_Tony._

Bucky groaned as he covered his face with his hands, he sounded like a schoolgirl and he needed to get a grip on himself. So what if he liked Tony? It didn’t change his mission, if anything it made it easier. He’d ask Tony out Friday, one of the last days before the semester ended, and if he said yes then he had the benefit of winning the bet and having a boyfriend he actually wanted. If he said no, Bucky could play it off to Sam and Steve that it didn’t matter and suffer the consequences of having to do laundry for the rest of the semester. 

Easy, right? Bucky was a wreck. A nervous one, but still a wreck.

* * *

He was sitting at the coffee table that Tony and him usually sit at with flowers hidden beneath the table as he waited for the certified genius to arrive. Bucky had already ordered their coffees but he was too anxious to drink his. Just when he felt like wilting like the flowers would, Tony burst through the door.

Just by his walking, Bucky could tell something was wrong with Tony. Usually when he walked _(and no it wasn’t creepy to automatically know how Tony walked shut up brain),_ Tony walked with confidence and arrogance oozing in every step. Whether the genius was feeling confident or not didn’t matter because he could still fake it, and only after you truly started to get to know Tony could you tell the difference. For one, his steps would sometimes falter and he would slouched before quickly fixing his posture. Second, his smile would be strained and tight around the edges and too bright to be true. But this time he wasn’t trying to fake the confidence or show off that he felt confident and that made it worse. 

Because when he didn’t walk with confidence, he did with _anger._

Tony showed all his positive emotions, like happiness or pride, through his confident walk, and only when he felt comfortable did he allow his actual happiness to show through by laughing giddly or vibrate in excitement. Tony _never_ showed sadness or self-loathing _(which Bucky knew was there even if the genius didn’t admit it to him)_ in public, but Bucky had seen his shoulders shake in the safety of his own dorm when he thought Bucky wasn’t looking before covering it up with a fake smile. Only after their friendship progressed did Tony allow himself to be vulnerable around Bucky, and it was also after Bucky showed his own vulnerability by coming to Tony in the midst of a panic attack, and let himself be sad in front of him.

But one emotion that Tony didn’t hide from the public was anger, and when he was angry the genius was not a force to be reckoned with. Whether it was his scowl, his glare, or the way Tony held himself when angry, students were quick to move out of the genius's way despite his short stature and Bucky couldn’t blame them.

That being said, when Bucky stood up with the flowers hanging at his side Tony stopped in front of him as his expression morphed from anger to confusion. 

“What are those?” Tony questioned and, despite the fact Bucky could very well see that Tony was walking the line of calmness and anger, Bucky snorted.

  
“What do you think they are? For a genius, you seem to lack visual identification.”

“Ha ha very funny James,” Tony said, sarcasm dripping off his voice as he rolled his eyes, “I know they’re flowers but why do you have them?”

“Well, I…” Bucky flattered, and the nervousness from earlier came back at full force, “I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me. Like as in a date, and as a couple.” 

_‘Wow, so smooth, way to go Barnes, you couldn’t of had been more awkward than that.’_ Bucky cringed internally as he stumbled over his words, and watched as Tony stared at him blankly. It wasn’t a sign of rejection, that Bucky knew, because he had seen that look on Tony’s face plenty of times when something surprised him and he needed time to figure out what just happened.

“You want to date...me?” Tony asked, clearly confused, and Bucky knew this was probably a whiplash of emotions for the genius.

“Yes, that’s why I asked.” To others, that response might’ve come off as rude and impatient but to them that’s just how they worked. Blunt and honest to the point of bordering on rudeness.

Tony breathed out a laugh of pure joy as his face broke out into a smile, them being at a coffee shop be damned, “Yes, of course!” Bucky let out a sigh of relief, and then instinctively caught Tony in a hug as the smaller genius surged forwards to hug him. Bucky was surprised that Tony was showing such displays of affection in public, but couldn’t complain.

“Good, because I was seriously freaking out.” Bucky said, and Tony smiled amusedly as he took the flowers.

“Aw, you brought me flowers? Didn’t know you were such a romantic James.” Tony teases lightly, and Bucky smirked as they sat down.

“Actually, I was going to give it to the manager so he could put it in a vase.” Bucky deadpanned, and Tony laughed as Bucky rolled his eyes fondly, “What can I say? It’s the Brooklyn gentlemen in me.”

“Alright, Mr. Brooklyn, I guess I’m taking you out for a date then.” Tony said as he took a drink of his coffee, and Bucky leaned forward with interest.  
  
“Oh yeah? And how does _the_ Tony Stark plan a date?” Bucky asks as Tony smirks lazily.

“I guess you’ll just have to see. Don’t worry on wearing anything formal, just you and your comfortable clothing will do.” Tony stands up, grabbing his bag and coffee, “I’ll see you at 7:00 James Bond.” The genius is out the door before Bucky can say anything, and the latter huffs as a smile graces his face. 

Getting out his phone, Bucky sends a text to the group chat.

**_Terminator:_ ** _Just asked Tony out. He said yes and we have a date tonight._

**_Bird Shit:_ ** _Finally, you were cutting it close there Barnes. And here I was thinking I’d have a whole semester of no laundry._

**_Terminator:_ ** _In your dreams, I had this in the bag._

**_Bald Eagle:_ ** _Okay but how are you going to break it off? You just got with him._

**_Bird Shit:_ ** _Idea._

**_Bald Eagle:_ ** _?_

**_Bird Shit:_ ** _New bet._

**_Bald Eagle:_ ** _Not again._

**_Terminator:_ ** _Let’s hear it Wilson._

**_Bird Shit:_ ** _You date Stark for the rest of the semester without him trying to break it off with you and I’ll continue to do the laundry for the other half of the semester. If he breaks it off with you, then you have to do laundry for the whole rest of the year. Deal?_

**_Bald Eagle:_ ** _This is going to backfire, and you guys know it deep down. You’re thinking short term, what about when it finally comes time to break up with Stark? How is that going to play out? You’re playing with this man’s heart, is it really worth it for a bet and laundry?_

**_Bird Shit:_ ** _I’ll let him down easy man, Bucky won’t even have to get involved. I’ll throw a party before we return to school at the end of the second semester and Bucky will “graciously” invited his boyfriend, I’ll separate them and explain to Stark it was all a bet, and Bucky’s sorry but he isn’t actually interested in him. Stark will storm off and leave the party and bam! Problem solved._

**_Bald Eagle:_ ** _Bucky? It’s your decision to make, but remember that you’re messing with someone’s feelings._

Bucky leaned back in his chair and thought about it. On one hand, he didn’t want his two best friends thinking he’s doing all of this just for some bet. 

But on the other hand…

He gets another whole semester of no laundry for “pretending” to like Tony, which wasn’t hard since he did genuinely like him. At the end of the semester, he could just tell the two that he grew to like Tony during the second half of the bet and have them not mention to Tony that this whole thing between them started out as a bet in the first place. It’s a win-win situation.

**_Terminator:_ ** _You’re making this too easy Wilson, it’s a deal._

This couldn’t possibly backfire, Bucky had it covered.

* * *

It turned out that Tony’s first date idea was to take them to the movies that, amazingly, served dinner as well as the snacks you find at a movie theater with just a click of a button besides you. 

“Did you like it?” Tony questioned upon them returning to the streets, Tony hailing a cab as he faced Bucky.

“Yeah I did, thanks for taking me out.”  
  
“Well, I wanted to go easy on our first date.” Tony smiled, albeit a bit shyly, and continued, “I have something to show you, if you’d like to go back to my apartment?”

“I mean, of course but don’t you live in the dorms?” Bucky questioned as they stepped into the cab and Tony rattled off an address to the driver, and then he answered.

“Yeah, but I can’t keep all my projects at the dorms since someone could steal them. Howard would kill me if that happened, so I got an apartment to keep it separated.” Tony mentioned his father, but Bucky knew better than to ask. The conversation of his family had been brought up by Tony himself actually, but it was just to warn Bucky that he wouldn’t take too kindly to questions about them.

_‘I’ll tell you about them eventually, but not right now. Whenever I am ready to talk about them with you I’ll let you know, but I’d like to stick with Jarvis and Anna.’_

Bucky had accepted Tony’s boundaries easily, and his boyfriend had looked relieved at that. Tony only mentioned his father or mother briefly, and usually as an example, but Bucky didn’t mind.

“Well then I’m excited to see what you have to show me.” Tony brightened up at his words, and in the back of his mind Bucky wondered how many past partners shot Tony down or told him to shut up when he started rambling.

Bucky didn’t like thinking about it and had to push the thought away as he felt a flash of anger run through him, he didn’t want his mood to be ruined tonight.

When they got to the apartment, Tony fished out a key from his pocket and opened the door as he let Bucky walk in first.

What Bucky saw took his breath away.

He had seen the inside of Tony’s dorm, and the side that Tony had claim to, and it was a chaotic mess. Paper were skewed about, some seemed to be essays while others were ideas for projects, and the bed looked to be barely slept on. 

The apartment was somewhat on that level, but instead it was filled with _inventions_ . Some were half finished, others were completely finished, but they were _everywhere._ It was a chaotic mess, but it was also so _Tony_ that it hurt. Tony walked in front of him and seemingly effortlessly walked around the inventions that littered the room and maybe for him, the person that had built around this chaos that Bucky found Tony calling _home_ , it was effortless. For Bucky, though, it was not, so he stood by the doorway in order not to mess up the world Tony had built by himself.

“DUM-E, you menace, get back here!” Bucky heard Tony shout, and suddenly there was a _thing_ in front of him waving a robot arm. He flinched away and saw Tony reach where they were, hands on his hips.

“What have we talked about when it comes to personal space?” The robot arm made a dejected hum as it came back to Tony’s side, “That’s right, not to invade it because some people actually like _not_ to have a robot in their face.” 

“Wait-wait,” Bucky stepped forwards and the robot arm made a happy beep, “is that _DUM-E?”_

“Yup, I got dumbo here awhile before you asked me out and had been trying to figure out a perfect time to introduce you to him. The opportunity presented itself and I took it, I figured you deserved to see the final creation of what got me and you talking in the first place.” Bucky ignored the voice in his head that screamed that DUM-E wasn’t what got them talking, the same voice that made him feel guilty for lying to Tony, and focused on the present. 

  
“Wow, that’s amazing Tony.” Bucky watched, fascinated, as DUM-E wheeled closer to him and opened its claw as it circled him, picking at the strands of his hair that fell out of his bun and making a strange cooing noise as it focused on his prosthetic.

“Looks like he found something in common with you.” Tony joked as he walked closer to them, “If you touch the sensors he’ll be able to feel your touch.” He motioned to where the sensors were and Bucky, still in awe, touched them gently and watched as they lit up beneath his touch.

“C’mon, that’s not the only thing I wanted to show you. You’ll have plenty of time to bond with DUM-E later.” Bucky stood up from where he was previously crouching and walked behind Tony, going deeper into the apartment. In the living room was a small bookcase but instead of books being there, it was small notebooks. Tony ran his finger over the spines of the notebook before picking one out, seemingly random to Bucky, and opening it up. At Bucky’s questioning stare, Tony answered his unspoken question. 

“All of these notebooks have a different project in them, none of them are the same, and I couldn’t have them laying around everywhere so I put them here. Anyway, here take a look.” Tony handed the notebook over to him, and Bucky was amazed. 

**James’s Arm**

Inside were unintelligible words, at least to him Tony could probably read it just fine, and drawings of the arm with notes around it, similar to the notebook with DUM-E. 

“You complained about how your current prosthetic wasn’t up-to-par so I wanted to make you one that would be.”

“I love it, but the financial cost…” Bucky worried his bottom lip as he stared down at the prosthetic, how much would this cost for Tony to build? He was startled when Tony took the notebook away from him and covered Bucky’s hands with his own, and Bucky was reminded of another downside of his prosthetic when he couldn’t feel the touch of one of Tony’s hands. 

“Basically nothing, this would be one of my personal projects and because I’m not an actual professional I can’t charge you since that’d be illegal.” Tony explained, and Bucky knew he purposefully found that loophole so Bucky wouldn’t feel guilty about not paying him. 

“But still, I feel guilty that I can’t help you whatsoever with this.”

“If you really want to repay me, then just stick with me and keep doing what you’ve always done. Listen to me ramble without getting a glazed over look in your eyes, pay attention to me and engage in conversations. Everything you’re doing is exactly why I’m doing _this,_ because you cared enough to become my friend and then something more.” Tony was absentmindedly running circles on his hands as he talked, and Bucky focused on the feeling so he wouldn’t be completely overwhelmed. “The only thing you could do that you’re not already doing is, whenever you have free time and not in classes or hanging out with friends, shoot me a text asking if you can come over. I don’t mind people watching me work, and since it’s your prosthetic it’s only fair you get to see the process. Only if you want to, I don’t want to bore you if you have better things to do.” Tony offered, and Bucky nodded. 

“Yeah, I can definitely do that.” Tony smiled at his response and then continued on to tell him about his prosthetic and what will be new about it. 

When he mentioned that he’d be able to _feel_ through the prosthetic, Bucky’s eyes widened and he laughed with warmth at his core. 

He was glad he decided to take on the bet and chose Tony, if he had chosen someone else all of this could’ve played out so differently. 

That night they spent playing with DUM-E and learning new things about each other and it wasn’t fancy like Bucky had expected from a Stark, but it was comfortable like Bucky had expected from _Tony._ Somewhere in the night, Bucky had questioned why Tony first appeared angry at the coffee shop and the genius brushed it off easily as he said it didn’t matter. Not wanting to ruin their date night, Bucky had dropped it with a sinking feeling it would come back up again. 

* * *

The thing that made Tony angry didn’t come back until almost two months later, but when it did it was worse than it had been the first time. Well, it wasn’t a thing it was a _who._

Namely Steve Rogers.

Bucky caught them arguing early in the morning on campus, standing under a tree, and hurried over to them because it looked like one of them was about to throw a punch. He came early so Tony and him could go to the coffee shop, so he didn’t have to worry about being late to class as he stepped closer to them.

“Fuck you Rogers! I don’t need your condescending attitude! I know what I’m doing!”

  
“Obviously you _don’t_ considering you’re doing the same things that you did when we were dating!” Steve threw his hands up in the air and Bucky froze. Tony and Steve _dated?_

“Yeah, _were_ dating is the key word there. As in, we’re not anymore so you can’t dictate my life!”   
  
“So you’d let Bucky?”   
  
“Who the fuck is _Bucky?”_ Tony questioned, and Steve looked confused.

“Bucky Barnes? Your boyfriend?”

“James?” Tony ran a hand through his hair as he looked at Steve, “Jesus, I thought the last names were a coincidence. Whatever, it doesn’t matter, I’m not going to let _anyone_ dictate my life. I let you do it, but not anymore. Never again.”

“You’re running yourself into the ground and it’s at the expense of people around you that _care_ for you!”

“Well you’re definitely not one of them.” Tony said coldly, straightening up, “As far as I know, nobody thinks that way. Rhodey, Pepper, James, and Peter have _never_ said that I’m ruining my relationship with them. Have they said I need to eat or sleep more? Yes, but _never_ have they said that just because I sometimes overwork myself that I’m _ruining_ our relationships. That was _you.”_ Tony stepped so thy were practically chest to chest and glared up at him, “I thought that maybe that’s what would be required of me in a relationship, having to constantly check in with my partner and having to constantly cater to their wants, but it’s _not._ I can want alone time, and I can be comfortable with not doing what my partner wants if I’m not comfortable because _that_ is what makes a good relationship. Knowing your boundaries and knowing your partner’s boundaries, because when you do then you can be happy. _I can have opinions._ James is happy in our relationship and so am I, and if one of us wasn’t then we’d communicate because that’s what a healthy relationship has. _Communication_. You have _no_ right to interfere with our relationship, and you are certainly _not_ my friend. Will I tolerate you for James? Yes, but only for him.” Tony spun on his heel and walked away towards the coffee shop, leaving Steve standing there under the tree and not noticing Bucky.

“Stevie?” Bucky said quietly, and Steve spun around as he plastered a smile on his face.

“Buck! What are you doing here?” Steve hugged him and pulled back, and Bucky grabbed his arm and forcefully sat him down on the grass. “Bucky?”  
  
“I think it’s time you tell me why you and Tony are on bad terms.” Sitting across from him, Bucky could easily see Steve wince.

“How much did you hear?” 

“Enough, now start talking.” Bucky commanded, and Steve did so. 

“We dated, and at first it was perfect. He was attentive, always asking me how my day was or if I wanted to hang out, and always aware of my feelings too. But as time went on, he started distancing himself and claiming it was for his schoolwork and that he was busy. He offered me to visit his apartment while he worked, but made it clear he wouldn’t have time to take a break and watch a movie or anything of the sort. I didn’t see a reason to go over, if he wasn’t going to make time for me why would I?” Steve asked rhetorically, but all Bucky could think about was Tony’s words.

_‘Shoot me a text asking if you can come over. I don’t mind people watching me work. Only if you want to, I don’t want to bore you if you have better things to do.’_

“I told him that if he continued on like this, he’d ruin our relationship since attentiveness is a two-way thing. He promised that he’d get better, and he did for a short amount of time but then he went right back to being like how I described. I expressed my concern to his best friend, Rhodes, but he didn’t seem too bothered by it and said that’s how Tony sometimes got, and if I gave it some time he’d start opening up again but I couldn’t sit back and watch. I had to do something Buck.” Steve’s eyes stared pleadingly at his, and Bucky had a sinking feeling he knew where this was going.

“What happened?”  
  
“I took away his laptop, and we fought. Verbally, thankfully, but we both said hurtful things and I-” Steve paused, and swallowed, “I threw his laptop to the ground and it broke. That was the breaking point for Tony, and he wanted nothing to do with me. He practically pushed me out the door and slammed it in my face. All I wanted was to help him! I couldn’t understand how he thought what he was doing was _good_ for our relationship! Everything we did together suddenly thrown down the drain because he decided he needed to work and create inventions!” Bucky realized it quicker than Steve did, and maybe Steve would never realize it.

_It wasn’t about him._

Tony didn’t just suddenly thrown himself into his work because of something Steve had did or said in their relationship, if their relationship was anything like the one Bucky had with Tony it had started out gradual. Tony didn’t introduce them to his apartment on the whim, he had done it so they could realize that creating was his _world._ He had done it to show that while he cared for his partners, he wasn’t willing to give up what he loved for them.

Maybe Steve had missed that message, and that was their downfall.

Steve wasn’t a bad guy, he didn’t do things with malicious intent, but Bucky knew that he was _stubborn_ and could sometimes have a fixed mindset when it came to things he was certain about. 

This was good, and bad.

Would Steve fight for the rights of others to his dying breath because he undoubtedly believed that they deserved basic human rights? Yes, definitely. But, would he also fight for someone even if they didn’t want/need it because he believed it was the right thing to do and he could fix something that didn’t need fixing? Also yes. 

And when it came to Steve and Tony’s relationship, that had been the crux of the problem.

Tony had weird, roundabout, ways of showing he cared for someone. Very rarely would he say outright that he cared for someone in a serious way. Sure, he would give Rhodes affectionate nicknames to show his fondness of the man but he wouldn’t _say_ that. He would give people seemingly thoughtless presents when it was anything but, and while he wasn’t overly hands-on he would show his support physically when needed. Tony’s way of caring for someone wasn’t the usual hold hands and proclaim his love for them everyday, but it was uniquely _Tony_. But, Tony was also prone to needing time alone in silence. As a person who experienced social exhaustion, Bucky understood completely. The need to just be _alone_ and not having to go through the motions of social interactions, keeping up a conversation and laughing when necessary, and Bucky understood why Tony needed to be alone when working sometimes. Then, after a few days of recollection and being alone, Tony would bounce back into their normal routine like nothing ever happened because it didn’t _need_ to be brought up, they both understood why he had done it so why make it a discussion?

Steve, though, had seen this roundabout way of caring as something _wrong_ with Tony. The way he’d “flaunt” the fact he had money through gifts, when it was really a way of showing he cared, and the fact that sometimes he had days of no communication because he was drained. The way he never initiates physical touch first, and the way he’d only do it if he deemed it absolutely necessary. Steve didn’t understand how Tony could bounce back like nothing was wrong after he had kept his distance for _days_ like it was just something he was supposed to accept. In a way, Bucky understood that Steve truly _didn’t_ understand why Tony would fall off the grid for days at a time because the blonde didn’t experience social exhaustion like Bucky or Tony might. After bottling it up for so long, Steve had simply burst and confront Tony in a bad way. While threatening to leave him seemed to have worked for a short amount of time, it wasn’t going to help in the long-term because that’s just how Tony _worked._ It wasn’t something to be “fixed” and while both of them could’ve sat down and talked about it before it reached boiling point, Tony never would’ve changed. Would sitting down and explaining everything had given Steve a better understanding of things? Yes, Bucky was sure of it, but it wouldn’t of had given the outcome Steve was looking for.

Bucky realized all of this in a few moments and, after explaining to Steve that no he wasn’t suddenly not his best friend just because Steve and his current boyfriend had a bad breakup, stood up and bidded Steve goodbye before making his way to the coffee shop.

“James, I was beginning to think you wouldn’t show up.” Tony said with a teasing smile, anger from before suddenly gone, and James smiled back. Judging by Tony’s concern look, James figured it came out as more of a grimace.

“James? What’s wrong?” Tony questioned as he sat down, sliding Bucky’s coffee to him which he took gratefully, and Bucky decided to bite the bullet.

“I heard the spat you and Steve.” He watched as Tony quickly tensed under his sweater, and could practically see the gears turning in his head. 

“I guess you’re breaking up with me now?” Tony asked sullenly as he pointedly looked at his coffee cup, and Bucky’s eyes widened in surprise.

“No! No of course not.” Bucky reached over and grabbed one of Tony’s hands, making the genius look up at him, “Doll no, I just wanted you to know. Stevie’s my best friend, but you’re my boyfriend. I know neither of you would make me choose between the two of you, and I know you each have a different story about your relationship with each other. I just thought it’d be unfair to not tell you that I heard a private conversation, and I’m sorry for eavesdropping.”  
  
“It’s okay, I would’ve too if I saw my best friend and boyfriend arguing.” Tony took a drink of his coffee before continuing, a short pause to collect his thoughts, ‘You probably want to hear my side of the story, but it’s about time for you to be heading off to your classes and I’m about to go to the library to help Rhodey study. But I promise I’ll tell you over the weekend at our apartment, okay?” Bucky didn’t know when Tony’s apartment had become _theirs_ , but it had happened. Over the weekdays they’d sleep in the dorms but when it was the weekend they’d go to their apartment and not return to the dorms until Monday hit again. Neither of them had weekend classes and it was more conventional to be on campus during the week, but gradually more and more of Bucky’s stuff had moved over to Tony’s and soon both of them were referring to the apartment as _‘our apartment’._

At Bucky’s nod of affirmation, they both stood up and headed their separate ways. When the weekend was finally upon them, Tony explained his own perspective of his relationship with Steve. It had boiled down to the fact that Steve just wouldn’t _‘lay off’_ and his inability to go with the flow and just let Tony be. Bucky had been an attentive listener, and at the end nodded without asking questions or trying to correct Tony’s mindset when it came to Steve and had changed the subject to something lighter. It wasn’t Bucky’s job to tell Tony to stop feeling what he felt towards the subject at hand, and he wasn’t going to try to. Instead, he took what he had learned from both Tony and Steve and filed it away for when he would express his opinion on the matter when all three of them sat down. They would have to eventually, with Tony being his boyfriend and Steve his best friend, but tonight wasn’t the night

* * *

This is it, this was the end of the semester and where Sam’s party would come to play. Bucky found Tony under the tree where he first met the genius, except this time he was napping with his notebook on his chest. His earphones were, once again, blaring in his ears and it was a wonder he even slept through it. Bucky took the earbuds off and shook Tony’s shoulder lightly before stepping back, because if there’s one thing he learned through all the months of dating Tony was that he did _not_ take kindly to being woken up by another person. Tony jolted awake, breathing harshly, as his eyes dart from place to place to see what woke him up. His whole body was tense, stuck in the instinct of flight or fight, but he relaxed once he saw Bucky. 

“James,” Tony greeted easily, relaxing back onto the trunk of the tree, “what are you doing here?”  
  
“Well, one of my friends is throwing a party and I was wondering if you wanted to come?” Bucky asked as he offered a hand to Tony, who takes it and pulls himself up.   
  
“Uh, yeah sure. Do I know them?”   
  
“Nah, his name is Sam Wilson. Steve is probably going to be there too.” Bucky explained and Tony sighed dramatically, a teasing smile on his face to let Bucky know he was messing around. 

“For you, I'll survive.” Tony kept the dramatic look for a moment longer before letting it drop in favor of smiling, “It’ll be fun, what’s the worst that can happen?”

“Don’t jinx it.” Bucky snorted as he felt his phone buzz and he took it out as Tony led them to the coffee shop.

**_Bird Shit:_ ** _You ready for tonight Barnes?_

Bucky thought about telling them that he had fallen for Tony right then and there, but shook that thought away. It would be more priceless to see the shocked looks, particularly on Wilson, so for now Bucky would play along.

**_Terminator:_ ** _You bet, I’ve been doing this for a whole year. It was worth it for the free laundry though._

**_Bald Eagle:_ ** _Don’t you think that’s a little insensitive? He couldn’t of had been that bad._

**_Bird Shit:_ ** _Whatever, we’ll get all the date catastrophes later I was just checking in. See you later dudes._

Bucky pocketed his phone and engaged in the conversation, the whole bet completely leaving his mind in favor of defending his favorite movie. 

He’d regret not remembering it soon.

“I’m going to go get us some drinks.” Bucky informed Tony, and the genius nodded at his boyfriend.

“Get me something non-alcoholic.” Bucky nodded and disappeared from Tony’s view. Tony grimaced as a drunk bumped into him and made his way to the roof. After seeing how alcohol changes people, namely his father, Tony never liked it. That didn’t mean he hadn’t tried it though but, after one particularly bad night that ended in Ana crying and Jarvis fretting over his health while poorly trying to hide his concern, Tony quit. He sighed in relief when he saw there was only one person up here aside from him and made his way to the railing, looking up at the stars. The night sky always amazed him, just being able to look up and see stars and _universes_ , but sometimes, if he truly thought about it, it overwhelmed him. A constant reminder that, compared to the universe, he had such a _short_ amount of time before he would cease to exist, a short amount of time to make up for his mistakes and change the world for the better. Sometimes, when his thoughts got the better of him, he holed himself up in his apartment with no communication, something Bucky and Steve noticed but only one of them didn’t comment on it, because his mind would scream at him that _he was wasting what little time he had on Earth for something as trivial as relationships he has to make a difference and help the world and workcreatedobetteryou’reagenuisaren’tyou-_

Well, in short he didn’t want to subject someone like Bucky or Rhodey _(or god forbid Peter)_ to him lashing out when he was stuck in one of these moods and regret what he said later. Most of the times he didn’t mind being in a romantic relationship and hanging out with his platonic friends, hell he even _enjoyed_ it, but when he got stuck in a loop of one of those overwhelming thoughts…

It was better if they weren’t around him for that.

A cough interrupted his thoughts, and looking to the side he could see the other guy staring at him. Once he saw he had Tony’s attention, he walked towards the genius with an apologetic smile on his face.

“Tony Stark?” 

“Who’s asking?” Tony shot back warily, leaning against the railing casually as the person moved to stand in front of him, and the guy offered his hand.

“Sam Wilson.”  
  
“Oh, the guy throwing the party.” Tony shook the extended hand as he raised an eyebrow, “What are you doing up here? You’re the host, I’d expect you to be mingling with your guests.”

“Yeah you’re right,” Wilson laughed as he retracted his hand, “it just gets a little hectic sometimes, y’know?”  
  
“I feel you there, but judging by the expression you had on earlier I’m guessing you didn't approach me for small talk?” Tony asked smoothly, and Wilson nodded.

“Yeah, I’m sorry but Bucky’s breaking up with you.” Wilson got straight to the point and Tony let the words wash over him as Wilson continued, “It was a bet from the beginning of the first semester, we made a bet that he couldn’t get someone to date him by the end of the semester and he chose you as his target. After that, when he managed to do it, we made another bet that he couldn’t keep you for the whole second semester and that if he did, I’d have to be the one to break it off with you for him.” Tony processed the words as Wilson grimaced apologetically, and his mind flashed back to certain moments.

_James’s relieved expression when Tony said yes, just a few days from the end of the first semester._

_The way that, throughout the second semester, James had cared for him and communicated camly through their rare arguments._

_The way he understood Tony without having to ask questions that would make Tony defensive._

_The way that he made the relationship so different from the one Tony had with Steve, caring and sympathetic in ways Steve never was, and making Tony feel like he was important to James._

_All of that, a lie._

_Because of some goddamn bet._

Tony gritted his teeth against the onslaught of emotions and crossed his arms.

“I want proof that you’re not lying to me.”  
  
“Here.” Wilson held out his phone, expecting the demand, but was confused when Tony didn’t reach out to take it.

“I don’t like being handed things, especially when it’s from strangers.” Tony explained, and Wilson shrugged and put the phone on the floor before stepping back.

“It’s already opened to the texts.” Tony bent down to pick it up, hating that he had to put himself in a vulnerable position where he could be easily knocked out, and felt like all of his senses were suddenly notched up to 11 but he couldn’t push the feeling down, especially with his emotions simmering just beneath the surface. He stood up and read the texts, thankful for his ability to read quickly, and when he finished reading them, he abruptly handed the phone back to Wilson has he saw his vision swim.

“I gotta go, tell Ja-Barnes thanks for nothing.” Tony walked past him and, as he stared down at his phone that had a droplet of what Wilson wished he could convince himself was rain despite the clear sky, Sam didn’t think the bet was funny anymore.

Tony roughly pushed past the drunkens that were in his way and made his way to the door, reaching into his pocket and grabbing his earphones. He plugged them into his phone and put on whatever was first on his list before shoving it back into his jean’s pocket. Putting the music on its highest level, Tony continued on his way to the door only to be stopped when a hand grabbed his wrist. Turning around quickly, he saw both Steve and Barnes looking at him in concern.

_They were both liars._

It hadn’t occurred to Tony that Rogers would be involved in this sick bet, but when reading the texts he found out the truth quickly. The third person in the group chat was Steven Grant Rogers, and somehow that made it _so much worse._ After Tony left from arguing with Steve, had Bucky came over and snickered behind his back before coming to the coffee shop and acting like a concerned boyfriend? Sure they were ex’s, but did Steve really despise him _that much_ to not even let Tony know what was happening?

“Tony? What’s wrong?” Barnes asked, and Tony sneered at him.

“No need to act so concerned, the jig is up. I hope whatever the reward is worth it, putting up with me for two whole semesters couldn’t of had been easy after all.” Steve was first to put two and two together, and Tony scoffed before moving to turn around. “If that was all, I’ll be taking my leave.”  
  
“Wait, Tony!” Barnes stopped him once again, and Tony closed his eyes to stop the tears from falling before putting his anger forward. “I can explain!”   
  
“There’s nothing _to_ explain Barnes!” Tony took a step forward, a mockery of a grin on his face, and if he wanted to play this game it was _fine_ by Tony. “You took on a bet from your good friend Sam Wilson and you won! You played me like a fool and I fell for it. Not anymore, you can go fuck yourself.” 

“I know it seems bad-”

_You bet, I’ve been doing this for a whole year. It was worth it for the free laundry though.’_

“Whatever Barnes, I hope the free laundry was worth it.” Tony turned around and walked out the door, and Barnes let him.

When he got in his car, he hesitated on where to go before deciding to go back to the dorms.

He opened the door quietly, not wanting to wake Rhodey if he wasn’t awake, and closed it quietly.

“Tony? Didn’t you go to a party with Barnes?” Rhodey asked and Tony rolled his eyes slightly. 

“Yeah well, apparently he’s a sack of shit so whatever.” Tony went to the kitchen to make coffee and Rhodes frowned.

“You were waxing poetics about this man a few weeks ago, what changed?”

“It was all a joke to him, it was a bet set up by his friend. First it was to see if he could get me to date him and then it was to see if he could keep me. Maybe it really is me.”  
  
“Nah man, it’s all of those assholes. It has nothing to do with you, trust me.” 

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Thanks Rhodey.” Tony smiled softly as he nursed his cup of coffee, “I know I’m not usually here for the weekends but is it okay if I stay here, at least for the night?” 

“Dude this is your dorm as much as it’s mine, you don’t have to ask.” Rhodes knocked shoulders with him and Tony snorted.

“Well, thanks anyway.” Tony walked back to his room and closed the door gently before looking at the book he had been meaning to show Bucky after the party. 

It was his arm, all schematics completely finished and he closed his eyes as he thought about the deal he made to get it made.

_‘This would boost stocks and the reputation of SI.’_

_‘I’ll have engineers make one for your boy toy if you contribute to five new weapons for Stark Industries.’_

_‘I wasn’t born yesterday, and I learn from the best dear father, make it two and we have a deal.’_

_‘Four.’_

_‘Three.’_

_‘Deal.’_

It would be done early in the morning, and of course Barnes would need to go to a professional to get it attached but it’s basically done. For a moment, he thought of not giving it to Barnes but he was never one to be vengeful like that. He could be petty, he could hold a grudge, but he couldn’t hold something that could benefit someone’s life-someone that he _knew._ Could he do it to someone he didn’t know or someone he knew had malicious intent, like a potential SI partner who did under-the-table dealing? Definitely, but has much as he wanted to believe Bucky was one of those people he wasn’t. Did he hurt Tony emotionally? Yes, but he wasn’t a _bad_ person.

“Fuck him.” Tony muttered, throwing himself on the bed and rolling to the side. He didn’t want to think about Bucky now and, despite the coffee, he somehow managed to fall asleep. 

* * *

“What the hell dude?!” Bucky yelled on the roof, and Sam looked confused.

“What did _I_ do? I got Stark off your back!” Sam yelled back, and Bucky grimaced before sighing and rubbing the back of his neck.

“I’m sorry, I just-”  
  
“You liked him, genuinely.” Sam connected the dots, and Bucky nodded.

“Yeah, but he figured out it was a bet and know he wants nothing to do with me.”  
  
“Why don’t you just show him our texts?” Steve questioned, and Bucky could’ve smacked himself.

“Wait, why didn’t you tell me?”  
  
“Because I wanted to win the bet, obviously.” Bucky snorted despite himself, then frowned, “He’s never going to want to see me.”   
  
“Force him to.” 

“What-Steve no.” Bucky pinched the bridge of his nose, “Steve that’s not how it works.”

“Why not? You get to explain yourself-”  
  
“While also driving him away! Steve, I’ll give him some time and then-” He interrupted himself when his phone buzzed, and he took it out.

**_Genius Engineer:_ ** _Come by the apartment tomorrow. I’m not going to murder you, or whatever. I’m just letting you back your shit and leave._

“I’m seeing it tomorrow.” Bucky breathed in relief, and Sam snorted.

“He forgave you that easily?”  
  
“No asshole, he wants me to _‘pack my shit and leave’_ according to him.” Bucky said, and Sam winced.

“I’m sorry man.”  
  
“It’s okay you didn’t know. Let’s hope tomorrow I’ll be able to explain myself.”

“C’mon Barnes, let's get this over with.” Tony said as he let him in, voice rough, and Bucky walked inside as he looked around.

* * *

“Where’s DUM-E?”  
  
“Charging, I don’t have all day and I’m going back to the dorms after this so hurry it up.” Tony had sunglasses and a business suit on, and he somehow doubted he was going to the _dorms._

“Tony, can we just talk? I’ll pack while I talk, but please.” Bucky asked pleadingly, and Tony glared at him before sighing. 

“Fine, but keep packing.”

“I-well I don’t even have to talk. Here.” Bucky tried to pass him the phone, but Tony didn’t take it so he put it on the bedside table. His heart broke a little at the fact that because Tony didn’t trust him, he wouldn’t take the phone from him. 

“How do I know this isn’t a lie?” Tony asked, voice tight with emotion Bucky couldn’t identify, and Bucky didn’t look over.

“Because you’re a tech genius and you can see that it was dated before you talked to Sam, which means Steve and I didn’t just come up with this. Even if we did and I did this all for a bet, why would I be here right now?”

“You mean aside from another bet?” Tony asks scathingly, and Bucky winces slightly.

“You can check my messages with the group and with Sam, I’m not lying. You can even ask them in person.” Bucky said truthfully, and he could sense Tony staring at him.

“I swear to god if you’re _lying_ I will _ruin_ you.” Bucky knew that Tony probably could, but he didn’t worry because he knew that Tony wouldn’t find anything on him. 

“Scouts honor.” Bucky said, and Tony huffed out a laugh as tension drained out of the room.

“Jerk, I thought everything we had meant nothing.” Tony said lightly, but Bucky could hear the insecurity in his words. 

“C’mere doll.” Bucky turned around and wrapped Tony in his arms. They’d evidently have to have a conversation about what happened, but for now they fell silent as they basked in what they almost lost.

Months past and Tony began to trust him again, and once Sam saw the relationship was serious he made an effort to get to know the genius. Soon, Tony was integrated into their group and Steve and Tony slowly made up. Sometimes old wounds would flare up but they were dealt with how any healthy relationship would.

_Together._


End file.
